Add-on oil-fuel metering device

ABSTRACT

THIS APPLICATION RELATES TO AN ACCESSORY FOR A GASOLINE TANK, FOR A TWO STROKE CYCLE ENGINE OF A TYPE WHICH USES A MIXTURE OF GASOLINE AND OIL. THE ACCESSORY IS A FLEXIBLE CHAMBER INSERTED THROUGH THE FILLER NECK OF THE TANK. THE RATIO OF THE AREAS OF THE CHAMBER AND THE TANK IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE IS EQUAL TO (OR A WHOLE NUMBER QUOTIENT OF) THE PROPORTION OF OIL TO GASOLINE REQUIRED BY THE ENGINE. THE CHAMBER IS FLEXIBLE ENOUGH TO PERMIT IT TO BE FOLDED AND INSERTED INTO THE FILLER NECK OF THE CAN DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE CONVENTIONAL FILLER NECK HAS A MUCH SMALLER AREA THAN THE REQUIRED AREA OF THE CHAMBER FOR PROPER METERING. THE CHAMBER ALSO HAS A SIMPLIFIED STRUCTURE AND A VERTICALLY OPERATING VALVE INSERTABLE THROUGH THE NECK WHICH UTILIZES THE FLANGE OF THE FILLER NECK AS A STOP AND WHICH ASSISTS IN SUPPORTING THE CHAMBER. THE CHAMBER IS DESIRABLY MADE OF NEOPRENE OR A SIMILAR FLEXIBLE SUBSTANCE IMPERVIOUS TO GASOLINE AND OIL.

March 13, 1973 F. s. AJERO ADD-ON OIL-FUEL METERING DEVICE Filed Dec.20, 1971 United States Patent O 3,720,231 ADD-N OIL-FUEL METERING DEVICEFortunato S. Ajero, 521 S. Rawsou Court, South Milwaukee, Wis. 53217Filed Dec. 20, 1971, Ser. No 209,822 Int. Cl. F16]; 3/24 US. Cl. 137-5769 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This application relates to anaccessory for a gasoline tank, for a two stroke cycle engine of a typewhich uses a mixture of gasoline and oil. The accessory is a flexiblechamber inserted through the filler neck of the tank. The ratio of theareas of the chamber and the tank in a horizontal plane is equal to (ora whole number quotient of) the proportion of oil to gasoline requiredby the engine. The chamber is flexible enough to permit it to be foldedand inserted into the filler neck of the can despite the fact that theconventional filler neck has a much smaller area than the required areaof the chamber for proper metering. The chamber also has a simplifiedstructure and a vertically operating valve insertable through the neckwhich utilizes the flange of the filler neck as a stop and which assistsin supporting the chamber. The chamber is desirably made of neoprene ora similar flexible substance impervious to gasoline and oil.

THE PRIOR ART This invention is a further development of the deviceshown in Pat. 3,316,933.

THE INVENTION The invention consists in providing a metering cham berhaving only two parts, only one of which is a moving part, insimplifying the valve structure by giving it a vertical action ratherthan a rotary action, and most importantly in the fact that the chamberis flexible so that it may readily be inserted in a new or existinggasoline tank without any other modification whatsoever. The verticallymovable valve contributes to this result, both because its limitedcircumferential extent permits insertion through the fuel filler neckand because it assists in stiffening the chamber vertically. The neckflange serves as its stop. Upon insertion, the user is enabled to addthe precise amount of oil required for the mixture which is to fill thetank, regardless of the level existing in the tank before the fillingoperation, without calculations. He does not even have to read a gauge.Applicant regards neoprene having a durometer hardness between 50 and 70as particularly suitable for use in this invention, with material of 70hardness being preferred. The hardnesses given are illustrative ratherthan limitations, but it is essential to the invention that althoughflexible, the chamber is stiff enough to maintain its shape, andtherefore the required area relationships.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. -1 is a vertical cross-sectional viewthrough a gasoline tank showing the device of my invention installedtherein, the ends of the gas tank being broken away.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the chamber of my invention.

FIG. 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view through the chamber of myinvention taken on line 33 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the chamber of myinvention with the flexible walls collapsed to a cross-sectional areasufficiently small so that said chamber may be inserted in the fillerneck of a gasoline tank.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Although the disclosure hereof isdetailed and exact to enable those skilled in the art to practice theinvention, the physical embodiments herein disclosed merely exemplifythe invention, which may be embodied in other specific structure. Whilethe best presently known embodiment has been described, the details maybe changed without departing from the invention, which is defined by theclaims.

As shown inthe drawings, a conventional gasoline tank 18 for aconventional two stroke cycle engine is provided with sidewalls 12, abottom 14 and a top 16. Extending from the top is a filler neck having agenerally cylindrical sidewall 18 and generally horizontal flange 20provided with downwardly extending cam portions 22 to secure the cap 24.

My chamber 30 is made entirely of flexible gasolineimpervious material,such as neoprene. It has a generally cylindrical sidewall 32, a bottomWall 34 and a generally cylindrical filler neck 36 which is eccentricwith regard to cylindrical sidewall 32. Cylinder 36 terminates in plainedge 37, which, when installed, lies within filler 18 and abuts flange20. The two eccentric cylinders 32 and 36 coincide in a vertical stripportion 38. Portion 38 of sidewall 32 is bounded by a pair of verticalvalve slide flanges 40 each having a portion 42 extending radiallyinwardly from sidewall 32 and a. portion 44 extending circumferentially.The two circumferential portions 44 extend toward each other, and over asmall portion of section 38 of sidewall 32. Thus flanges 44 formchannels which enclose the edges of a valve slide 46. The externalcurvature of valve 46 matches the internal curvature of wall 32 for facecontact therewith. The upper end of the valve slide 46 is provided witha tab 52 at right angles to valve slide 46 to serve as a handle. Thehandle may take other forms, but the form shown and described isparticularly convenient and economical.

Sidewall portion 38 is provided with a vertical series of holes ororifices 48 which are aligned with like holes or orifices 50 in valveslide 46 when the slide is in its lowermost position. Holes 48 and 50are so sized and located that they may be brought completely out ofregister by moving slide 46 a little more than the diameter of a hole4850. Valve slide 46 extends from the bottom of flexible chamber 30 to apoint near the top of margin 37 of cylindrical portion 36 when it isopen. It is sufiiciently shorter than the height of the entire flexiblechamber 30 so that it may slide upwardly between flanges 40 slightlymore than the full diameter of holes 48 and 50, so that holes 50 lieagainst the unbroken wall portions 38 between holes 48, to seal theopenings. When valve 46 is in its uppermost position, sealing theopenings, its handle *52 is against flange 20 of neck 18. It will beseen that the eccentric cylinders 32 and 36 with aligned portion 38permits the lower portion 32 to have the required area to meter oil andthe upper portion 36 to fit the neck while slide 46 is aligned withboth.

Chamber 30 is provided with an upper full mark which advantageouslytakes the form of a hole 54. Marker 54 is not in portion 38 covered byvalve slide 46, and so is never closed. Thus it not only marks the fullpoint, but serves as an overflow.

When fuel tank 10 is in use, the valve slide 46 is placed in its lowerposition, opening the holes 48 and 50 for flow of fuel. The level offuel within chamber 30 is then the same as that within gas tank 10*.When it is desired to refill the tank, valve slide 46 is grasped byhandle 52 and moved to its upper position, closing the holes 48 and 50and trapping the fuel mixture within the chamber 30. Chamber 30 is thenfilled with oil to the level of indicator hole 54. (Hole 54 serves as anoverflow means and is not one of the holes 48 covered 3 by the valveslide 46.) After filling chamber 30 with oil, valve slide 46 is moved toits lower position, releasing the oil to the interior of the tank 10,after which the tank is filled wtih gasoline to the same indicator 54with valve 46 open. Because the common two stroke engine requires onepart oil to '50 parts fuel, and because the area of a horizontal sectionof chamber 30 is onefiftieth the area of the same section of tank 16,the proportion of oil added is correct, regardless of how much fuelremains in the tank before filling. This is known, but is here achievedwith a chamber which can be added to existing tanks and having only onesimple movable part, the valve slide.

While the ratio illustrated is 50:1, because that is a frequently usedratio, the same chamber may be filled with oil, the valve 46 worked torelease it to tank 10, the valve 46 closed, chamber 30 refilled withoil, valve 46 opened and gasoline added to achieve roughly the 24:1 mixlong required for older two stroke engines. Of course other chambersizes could be made as required for other ratios. It will be seen thatthe ratio of chamber area to tank area in a given plane is desirablyequal to the required oil-fuel ratio, but it may be a whole numberquotient of the required ratio so that filling it completely a number oftimes gives the correct ratio. It will be apparent that other indicatorscan be added, especially on the slide 46, to enable other ratios to beused if necessary.

I claim:

1. For use in a fuel tank having a filler neck, for an engine whichrequires oil mixed with fuel in a specified ratio; a proportional mixingchamber adapted to extend the full height of the tank Within and beneaththe fuel filling opening of the tank, said chamber having a full levelmarking means, the ratio of the volume included in the mixing chamberbelow the full level marking means to the volume included within thetank being substantially a whole number quotient of the ratio of oil tofuel predetermined as suitable for the engine served by the tank, whensaid chamber is free-standing within the tank between the bottom and thefiller neck of the tank, said chamber having flexible side and bottomwalls adapted to permit said chamber to be folded for insertion into atank through a filler neck smaller than the diameter of the chamber,said chamber having a portion at its upper end engageable with thefiller neck to position said upper end within said filler neck withoutinterfering with the placement of a cap on the tiller neck, said chamberbeing further provided with a fuel flow opening in its sidewall, a valveguide secured to the wall of said chamber adjacent said fuel flowopening, a vertically movable valve member reciprocable on said guide tofirst and second positions, said valve member having a valve openingaligned with said fuel flow opening in said chamber wall in said firstposition of vertical reciprocation, said valve opening being out ofalignment with said fuel flow opening in said chamber wall in saidsecond position of vertical reciprocation.

2. The device of claim 1 in which said valve member is sufficientlyrigid to assist in maintaining the shape of 4 said chamber between thebottom of sad gas tank and the filler neck.

3. The device of claim 1 in which said chamber is constructed of asubstance impervious to fuel and oil, said chamber being provided nearthe top with a fixed indicator marking the level to which the chamber isto be filled with successive fillings of oil of fuel, and said valvehaving means for moving said valve member between said first and secondposition.

4. The device of claim 3 in which the chamber is constructed ofdurometer artificial rubber, said indicator comprising a pressureequalizing opening in the chamber wall, said opening being in a portionof said chamber wall spaced from said valve and adjacent to said portionof said chamber adapted to engage the filler neck of said tank.

5. The device of claim 1 in which said chamber comprises a measuringportion within the body of said tank having a cross-sectional areagreater than the area of the filler neck, and an upper portion which isa close fit in the filler neck, said measuring portion and said fillerneck portion having a common vertical wall portion extending in acontinuous vertical line, said valve means being disposed on said commonvertical wall portion.

6. The device of claim 5 in which the measuring portion comprises afirst larger cylindrical portion and the filler neck portion comprises asecond smaller cylindrical portion eccentric to said first cylindricalportion and having a wall portion vertically aligned with the wallportion of said first cylinder, said valve operating on said verticallyaligned portions, the remainder of the walls of the two cylinders beingjoined by a shoulder of varying width.

7. The device of claim 6 in which a pair of said valve guides areprovided, said guides comprising parallel vertical oppositely directedchannels formed in the wall of the chamber and disposed against thesides of the valve member.

8. The device of claim 6 in which said filler neck portion has an outerdiameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the filler neckand terminates in a free edge adapted to fit snugly under a horizontalflange at the top of the filler neck.

9. The device of claim 8 in which said valve member has a handle at itsupper end comprising a flange integral with the rest of the valve memberand adapted to abut the top of a tank filler neck when said chamber isin place in a tank and said valve member is in its said second position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,631,608 3/1953 Rosenberg137--576 3,270,797 9/1966 McLeod et a1. 137576 X 3,316,933 5/1967 Ajerol37--576 3,414,015 12/1968 Howard 137-572 WILLIAM R. CLINE, PrimaryExaminer US. Cl. X.R. 22086 R

